The pain of abandonment, both real and
metaphorical, can cast a shadow over a persons entire adult
experience.
Warming the Stone Child investigates the abandoned child
archetype in world myths and cultures to find clues about the
process of healing the unmothered child within us all. Spiced with
Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes' storytelling,
Warming the Stone Child is a unique listening experience with a
practical edge.

On 2 CDs, Estes leads listeners past the gates of the conscious
mind to discover the unmothered child within. Along the way, this
gifted storyteller and Jungian psychoanalyst instructs them about
the psychology of abandonment in childhood, how it affects them in
later life, and its curiously special gifts and powers. Drawing from
many world cultures, Estes has gathered a collection of deep myths,
fables, and fairy tales with adult listeners in mind. Her
storytelling creates a compelling picture of the orphan figure
through the ages, while helping listeners understand the meaning of
preadolescent abandonment in their own lives.

Estes is an internationally recognized scholar, award-winning
poet, diplomate senior Jungian psychoanalyst, and cantadora (keeper
of the old stories) in the Latina tradition. Holding a doctorate in
intercultural studies and clinical psychology, she has taught and
practiced privately for 26 years. With over two million copies in
print, her New York Times bestseller Women Who Run With the Wolves
has been hailed as a classic and the seminal work on the instinctual
nature of women.

The subtitle of this collection in the Jungian Storyteller Series
is "Myths and Stories About Abandonment and the Unmothered Child."
Estes's silky smooth soprano voice is almost hypnotic as she tells
these metaphorical stories. Her tone seems cool and detached as she
narrates fairly complex tales. While she suggests aspects that may
be particularly meaningful, her gentle voice allows the listener to
place the emphasis where he or she wishes. Estes blends myths, fairy
tales, fables and Jungian psychology into a unified presentation of
the orphan figure who spends his or her life searching for or
recreating the inner mother. M.G.S., AudioFile

Another underground bestseller from the author of Women Who Run
with the Wolves. Important material for those wishing to fan alive
the coals glowing within. Parenting Magazine

Warming the Stone Child is most impressive for its magical
storytelling. The volume will guide both therapists and those
working on their own self-healing.

Storytelling for Young Adults: A Guide to Tales for Teens (Second Edition)
by Gail de Vos (Libraries Unlimited) A powerful teaching
tool and form of entertainment, story­telling has been overlooked and underused
with teen (grades 7-12) audi­ences. But which stories work best with young
adults?
Storytelling for Young Adultswas written with the express purpose of
demonstrating to storytellers, librarians, edu­cators, and parents the
importance of telling stories to young adults and help­ing storytellers and
educators find good stories for the young adult audience. In the decade since
its first publication, a wealth of new material has been published for the
telling, so the annotated stories in this second edition have all been found in
those books, the ones published in the 1990s and the early years of the new
millennium.

In
Storytelling for Young Adultsyou’ll find suggestions for hundreds of
smart and color­ful tales that will get teens’ attention, complete with brief
plot summaries and bibliographic information. To help you pick the perfect
story, storytelling expert Gail deVos groups her diverse story suggestions by
theme:

De Vos shares proven techniques for choosing the right
story, introducing the story to teenagers, and making the storytelling
experience memorable.
Storytelling for Young Adultsis
an essential resource for storytellers and would-be storytellers, as well as for
librarians and educators who work with teens.

The Invisible Child: On Reading and Writing Books
for Children by Katherine Paterson (Dutton) Here
are the remarkable critical speeches and essays of world-renowned author
Katherine Paterson. Featuring selected essays originally published in Gates of
Excellence and The Spying Heart, this collection also includes the complete
acceptance speeches for her two National Book Awards and two Newbery Medals,
plus a new introduction and eight speeches never before published in book form.
With the same perception, wit, and generosity that characterize her fiction,
this much-honored writer shares her ideas about writing for children, as well as
her passion for reading, her spiritual faith, and her conviction that the
imagination must be nourished. Her words will touch all those who care about
literature and the lives of children.

The likeliest explanation for Ms
Paterson's choice of career may be her own love of stories: "if you call
yourself a writer," she observes, "you can read all you want to and people will
think you are working." Beyond that, Ms Paterson saw the impact that writing
could have on her chosen audience: "When I became a writer, I wanted to write
books for children like me who were often discouraged and afraid ‑who needed
encouragement and hope." The common perception that children's stories require
happy endings to provide peace of mind does not work for Ms Paterson. For her,
"a bit of cheer pasted to the end" is not what children look for: "They want
hope rooted in reality, not wishful thinking."

Ms Paterson stresses how successful,
effective writing for children takes into account the actual workings of their
lives, both positive and negative. Children may read seeking adventure, escape,
or laughter, but most importantly, they look for insight into more serious
concerns: "‑to understand themselves, to understand others, to rehearse the
experiences that someday they may live out in the flesh." There is no harm for a
child to read about life's difficulties; in fact, for Ms Paterson, "the time a
child needs a book about life's dark passages is before he or she has had to
experience them," so as to learn ahead of time about possible ways to cope.
Successful children's stories also do not need to insist on teaching virtues.
"When I write a book I am not setting out to teach virtue," Ms Paterson says, "I
am trying to tell a story, I am trying to draw my reader into the mystery of
human life in this world." Rather then present idealized views on the manner in
which children ought to conduct themselves, Ms Paterson praises books where "the
child, the real child, is fully visible in them, portrayed with respect and
affection." If characters are presented this way, then readers may see
themselves with all their fears and failings, but still be able "to like the
selves they see because the author has seen them so clearly and so obviously
cares for them. As they come to love and forgive these people on the page [they
are] able to forgive and love their own deepest selves." The child reader has
the chance to recognize the invisible child, the child with worries and wonders
within him or herself, and may gain a sense of belonging in the big bewildering
world that they are just beginning to understand.

The Invisible Childis a positive, but challenging, message to those who
select children's stories for publication or to add to a curriculum, and for
those reading or recommending stories for children of their own.

Inviting the Wolf in: Thinking About the Difficult Story by Loren
Niemi and Elizabeth Ellis (August House) As professional storytellers, Loren
Niemi and Elizabeth Ellis have confronted their fair share of stories that
are difficult to tell, as well as uncomfortable for the audience to hear.
They know that almost any story can be troublesome to tell in the context in
which it is heard, or if it is personally problematic for either the teller
or listener.

Of course, many stories ‑ by the very
nature of their subject matter are always going to be difficult for both
teller and listener. It's taxing for anyone to speak of topics such as
violence, rape, betrayal, revenge, abuse, suicide, racism, and death without
having strong emotions and worries. But Niemi and Ellis feel that it is
essential to tell and hear the difficult stories of life.

According to the authors, Inviting the
Wolf In: Thinking About Difficult Stories sprang from a simple question:
"How can we learn from our troubles and how can we share those experiences
with others in a way that helps them learn and grow?" They feel the answer
to the question is also a simple one: "Tell the story." Their sense of the
importance of these stories, however, goes much deeper: "We believe that to
understand, shape, and honestly tell the difficult story is to touch the
core of what it means to be human."

Inviting the Wolf In is
designed for anyone who deals with crisis and confusion, but it is
especially helpful to storytellers, ministers, therapists, social workers,
human service professionals, lawyers, and teachers. The book has three
essential elements: a general discussion about the value and necessity of
telling difficult stories; a "how‑to" section that leads readers through the
process of creating and shaping difficult stories; and sample stories
authored by Niemi, Ellis, and others who explain the choices they made in
shaping them.

Stories include Niemi's "By the Grace
of God," an account of a homeless man from which the author learned life
truths over a $3.68 bottle of Irish Rose; "Demeter and Persephone, 1984,"
Ellis's telling of the poignant myth in conjunction with the disappearance
of her own fifteen‑year-old pregnant daughter; and Tim Herwig's "Slaughter
House," a disturbing and gut‑wrenching look at a business of the same name.
Suggested further reading and a bibliography are included.

Story Theatre begins with the best
techniques and discipline of Readers Theatre, and then breaks all the rules.

‑Barbara McBride‑Smith

Professional storyteller, librarian,
and teacher Barbara McBride

Smith has been working with kids for a
mighty long time, and she's learned a fair amount of what grabs their
interest and enthusiasm. High up on her list of kid‑ and classroom‑tested
activities is Story Theatre, a storytelling vehicle that allows a group of
people to tell a story together.

McBride‑Smith has been developing and
field‑testing Story Theatre scripts in workshops, in her own classroom, and
in classrooms throughout the United States for more than twenty years.
Although the end result of her scripting is a new book ‑ Tell It Together:
Foolproof Scripts for Story Theatre ‑ the scripts were not written for the
purpose of being published in book form. "They were written as real lesson
plans and workshop activities for students and teachers who know what really
works," she says.

According to McBride‑Smith, Story
Theatre embraces many values important in the classroom:

Beginning storytellers can learn the
art of performing in a supportive, non‑threatening environment.Non‑readers and non‑verbal students can help tell the story.

Story Theatre supports a whole
language philosophy of learning. Story Theatre is a participatory sport.
Story Theatre is inexpensive and easy. Story Theatre is fun.

Scripts are divided into three
categories: Myths ("Arachne and Athena," "Bill Erophon and His Horse Peggy
Sue," "The Naming of Athens"), Folktales ("Aaron Kelly is Dead," "Sody
Salleratus," "Cat‑Skins"), and Fiction ("Bubba the Cowboy Prince," "A
Thoroughly Modern Rapunzel," "Santaberry and the Snard").

Equipment needed for Story Theatre can be simple and inexpensive.
McBride‑Smith suggests such items as scripts and binders, stools, music
stands, wooden platforms, very simple costumes, sound effect devices, basic
props, and sparse sets. All stories in the book can be told by a group or by
a single storyteller, and are designed for third to sixth grade students,
although many are appropriate for older students

Through
the Grapevine: World Tales Kids Can Read & Tell by Martha Hamilton,
Mitch Weiss edited by Carol Lyon
(August House) Grapevine Keeps Buzzing Into Twenty‑First Century: "1 like
storytelling better than TV, because the TV never asks you to do anything."
‑Elementary Student

35,000 years ago ‑ give or take ‑
folks started talking with one nother. They spent the next 29,500 years (or
8,082,191 days) perfecting the art of the story, whether it was a report on
the day's hunt, the latest news in culinary cave cuisine, or where did
thunder and lightning really come from.

When written language appeared some
5,500 years ago, spoken communication began evolving into new forms via the
printing press, telegraph, telephone, radio, television, and the Internet.
But like a Mississippi patch of Kudzu claims its territory, the grapevine of
communication absorbed and utilized all those technological advances and
continued to thrive, and in the last twenty‑five years ‑ with the
storytelling renaissance ‑ we've gone back to our roots and stories are
being told on audiocassettes and CDs, and in places such as schools,
libraries, museums, senior citizen centers, storytelling festivals, and most
importantly, in homes.

Storytellers Martha Hamilton and Mitch
Weiss have embraced the stories carried down through the ages by many
cultures in their latest book, Through the Grapevine: World Tales Kids Can
Read and Tell. Thirty‑one world tales that are fun to read out loud and
especially fun to tell are included, as well as tips for telling the story
without the book. The authors encourage budding tellers to "take these
stories and make them your own. Don't tell them exactly the way we wrote
them. Make them jump off the page!"

Twenty‑nine countries and traditions
are represented, including Kenya/Tanzania ("The Fearsome Monster in Hare's
House"), Turkey ("Watermelons and Walnuts"), Norway ("The Boy Who Battled
the Troublesome Troll"), Congo ("Taking the Bad with the Good"), and Jewish
("The Thief Who Aimed to Please"). General tips for telling stories,
follow‑up activities, and story sources are included.

This collection embodies the
philosophy of Hamilton and Weiss when it comes to the importance of
nurturing the modern‑day grapevine: "It's only when stories are passing from
one person to another that they really come alive. It's the living story‑the
one told directly to us by someone else‑that grabs our attention and touches
our hearts."

The Parent's Guide to Storytelling: How to Make Up New Stories and
Retell Old Favorites by Margaret Read MacDonald (August House) "There is
a special magic in the sharing of a story with your child... This is a gift
you give a child, a gift of time, energy, and caring... a gift of your
shared imagination. " ‑‑‑Margaret Read MacDonald

In 2001 master storyteller Margaret
Read MacDonald spun her special type of magic around the hearts of more than
15,000 listeners. This year she's waved her wand to make that magic multiply
and settle on the shoulders of parents and grandparents, weaving a special
web of storytelling sorcery.

MacDonald believes that storytelling
is an essential ‑ not optional ‑part of family life. Although the
storytelling time spent with children is magical, she doesn't believe that
the "hows and wherefores" should be shrouded in mystery. The Parent's Guide
to Storytelling: How to Make Up New Stories and Retell Old Favorites
glitters with the magic, but is underpinned by the basics.

According to MacDonald, the benefits
of family storytelling are many: passing on values ("saying without
saying"), developing literary skills (exposing the child to fine language),
recording history (giving a sense of our own past), nurturing emotional
development (providing models for encountering and overcoming adversity),
and fostering intimacy (giving the gift of shared imaginations).

MacDonald knows that part of the magic
is fitting storytelling into our busy lives. Since TV has replaced the
traditional family fireside gathering at night, she suggests using other niches
during the day, such as long drives in the car, time spent waiting for some
other activity to begin, moments before naptime or bedtime. Even those "cranky
afternoons" can be brightened by audience‑participation stories and tales.

Over the Lip of the World: Among the Storytellers of Madagascar
by Colleen J. McElroy (University of Washington Press) With wit, insight, and
humor, Colleen McElroy tells of her journey to Madagascar for a Fulbright
research project exploring Malagasy oral traditions and myths. Throughout, she
interweaves traditional Malagasy stories. Most of the tales she retells are
quick on their feet and short-lived and, not rarely, obscure in an undoubting
way. As with most folklore, they contain elements that require listeners to
suspend disbelief and accept a certain level of magic at play in order to garner
the story's gift, which often revolves around examples of bravery, morality,
responsibility the wisdom of ancestors. The stories also encompass origin myths,
or pose as brief expressions of larger truths: why dogs chase cats, how a child
should speak to an adult, how tricksters plot revenge, how places get their
names, why and how spouses cheat on each other. Included as well is a sampler of
contemporary Malagasy poetry. A fine cross-over book, mainly folklore with a
touch of the poet.